1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to emergency lighting and public communication equipment in general, and to combination emergency lighting and public communication equipment in particular.
2. The Prior Art
There is a need for an effective way for responsible news agencies, weather authorities and government officials to disseminate information and instructions to the public in times of local or national emergency or in the event of a disaster. The public could receive such information by television and radio broadcasts that can be received by conventional radio and television receivers located in their homes.
For instance, when a power failure or black-out strikes a city, government officials, in the interest of exercising good government in accordance with their duties, have a responsibility to inform citizens as to the state of affairs as a result of the black-out and the progress of efforts to restore power. This is a needed procedure in order to enable officials to assure confidence in the populace and prevent panic.
Similarly, in the event of a disaster, such as an earthquake, tornado, hurricane or flood, in either an urban area or rural area, it is desirable that the inhabitants of those areas first be informed that such disaster is eminent (whenever it is possible to predict the disaster) and secondly, when the disaster actually does strike, what efforts are being made to recover from the disaster. On many occasions, there is a need to inform the public that an evacuation order has been issued, and all inhabitants of the areas must leave immediately for their own safety.
Moreover, it would be helpful to the public if they were reliably and conveniently informed of safe evacuation routes and the status of operating civil services. In addition to radio broadcast, history has shown that images received via television are extremely helpful to the public in presenting clear and graphic details of the emergency condition, evacuation routes, or adverse weather conditions. In addition, a visual display would ideally serve citizens who are hearing impaired; that is to say, by viewing a television picture, hearing impaired persons would be able to see exactly what conditions exist as a result of the emergency and what precautions and actions are best advised by the authorities.
In the past, there have been efforts to provide lighting and communication equipment that may be useful to the public during these emergencies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,067, entitled Clock Radio Lamp Combination, provides a clock-radio combination having a high-intensity lamp, a clock and a radio. However, this combination can only be powered by a source of household alternating current, which in the case of a power failure or black-out, would not be useful for either lighting or receiving emergency instructions via the radio.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,986, entitled Combination Light, Radio and Clock, provides a device having a small incandescent light, a radio and clock, all housed within the same cabinet or housing. The light, clock and radio may be used during emergencies when energized by replaceable, rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, this device does not include a television, which would be highly useful during an emergency to provide visual images of a disaster or evacuation routes, or adverse weather conditions. Moreover, the illumination provided by the incandescent light is insufficient to light a large area, such as the family room of a home.
Accordingly, there is a need for an emergency survival lamp apparatus, which would serve as a source of illumination during times of power failure, in combination with a radio for receiving emergency information and instructions, in combination with a television for receiving visual images of the emergency situation and weather conditions, that would offer the most effective and useful way to cope with the emergency situation. Incorporating a clock would further enhance the usefulness of such apparatus, in that a clock would allow the user to accurately keep track of time. In addition, such apparatus should be portable, and relatively small in size and lightweight, so that it can easily be moved from one location to another as may become necessary during an evacuation procedure.
In times when no emergency conditions exist, the television and the radio would provide entertainment for the entire family, and the lamp could be used as an ordinary source of light.